


diana by my side

by Writeous



Series: The Olympians [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Study, Gen, Missing Scene, November 20 Interrogation (Persona 5), Possessive Behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:48:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27073741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writeous/pseuds/Writeous
Summary: In the hours following the ambush upon the casino, Niijima had instructed them all to act normal to avoid being linked to Joker’s arrest.Goro’s version of normal is attending his first televised interview in months. It was scheduled weeks in advance, and if Kurusu's little gang of do-gooders was even slightly less self-absorbed, they might have deemed to question the perfect timing.
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Kurusu Akira
Series: The Olympians [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982953
Comments: 1
Kudos: 32





	diana by my side

Niijima is shaking, an imperceptible tremor as she leans against the railing. In her hands, she clutches the briefcase containing Sae-san’s treasure. The flashing lights of the police force and the glittering casino reflect off of Goro’s costume in a dance of color, the white armor accomplishing little but shining a spotlight upon the two of them, barely hidden away from the police’s view. They’re hundreds of feet above the action, observing from a balcony of one of the casino’s many rooms. Goro can barely see Joker’s form underneath the police presence holding him down, loaded guns pinning him in place by trigger-happy officers. The plan is working perfectly, but the growl Goro lets out at the sight is hardly an act. 

A ragged voice fizzles in his ear piece, strained against the horrified exclamations of the rest of the Phantom Thieves. “ _Get … out ... of h-here_ ,” Joker chokes out, and then he’s gone.

“It can’t be,” Goro says, voice nearly drowned out by the shouts below and panicked chattering in his ear. “This wasn’t supposed to happen! The Phantom Thieves were to end after this mission, but I didn’t want it to end like this!” Niijima tears her eyes away from Joker’s arrest to see him scream, “This isn’t the justice I wanted!”

Niijima squares her shoulders. Her hands still tremble as she gathers her composure, not nearly as skilled an actor as Goro but still Joker’s trusted second-in-command. She holds the treasure protectively to her chest. “Let’s go, everyone.” It’s a command, and she purposefully turns her back to the violent scene below them. “If we’re caught here, his courage will be in vain.”

Goro stays behind as she makes her way towards the exit. She’s still giving orders to the others, instructing them on where to meet and how to leave as Goro watches Kurusu’s life all but end. His porcelain gloves tighten against the railing, the leather straining painfully against his knuckles. His expression twists as the police haul Joker to his feet, a gun pressed against his dark hair to stop any desperate escape attempt. Kurusu doesn’t resist the excessive force - good. He wouldn’t make it two steps without a bullet in his brain.

Goro snarls. “Not yet. I won’t let it end here.”

The only one deserving to kill Kurusu is him. 

* * *

As dawn breaks, they assemble in Niijima’s apartment. Sae is absent - most likely already informed of the leader of the Phantom Thieves’ arrest and on her way to interrogate him - but the elegant space still feels crowded with the eight remaining thieves stuffed inside, perched stiffly on the modern furniture.

Eight? Goro really must be stressed if he even briefly mentally included himself with the rest.

When it becomes obvious that the somber mood is not going to be broken by the others - lost and helpless without their leader to guide them, god, how Kurusu could stand their absolute lack of presence was _beyond_ him - Goro takes the lead, effortlessly breaking down the evidence. It’s laughable how little they react to the information, how impossible it is for them to make the simple connections between himself and the perpetrator. He almost wishes that Kurusu was still here, if only for him to enjoy even the ghost of a challenge to his obvious taunts.

The idiot ape jumps up angrily at Goro’s mention of the man with the black mask, and he narrows his eyes imperceptibly as Morgana quiets Sakamoto before he could even open his mouth. It’s the most sound any of them make until Goro says, “I’ll be the one to save Kurusu.”

They all stiffen at the announcement. Takamaki and Okumura stare at him with matching expressions of shock as Kitagawa gapes blandly. Sakura glares pointedly at her knees, refusing to look at him. Goro meets Niijima’s eyes, the only semi-competent person in the room. “Hearing that so suddenly may surprise you,” he adds, “but there’s no other way. Trust me and let me handle it.” He straightens, stepping away from the wall and towards the others. He doesn’t miss the fact that they subconsciously lean away from him. “I admit that this may be different than what the world would call an act of justice, but Kurusu and I made a deal. Besides, I know now that someone is pulling the strings.” A small uptick of his lips. “I will stick to the justice that I believe in now. I hope you can understand. Rescuing him will be more difficult if anything else happens. So again, don’t make any careless moves. I promise I can do this.” Hook, line, and sinker. Goro is the deus ex machina they crave. He straightens his pale gloves as he reassures them. “Wait for the good news.”

He leaves after that, shutting the door behind him with a resounding click and abandoning them to their petty discussions. Within the next twenty-four hours, they’ll know the truth. His hand flexes in his jacket pocket, rubbing his thumb between his fingers as if the delicate fabric of his gloves is the familiar, cold weight of a trigger.

Oh, he can’t _wait_ to see how they’ll react to that.

* * *

Niijima had told them all to act normal in order to avoid being tied to Joker’s arrest. Goro’s version of normal is attending his first televised interview in months. It was scheduled weeks in advance, and if the Phantom Thieves were even slightly less self-absorbed, they might have deemed to question the perfect timing.

Regardless, the public falls into the newest fad quickly and without regrets. To them, Goro, the Phantom Thieves, even the mental shutdowns and psychotic breaks, are nothing more than _drama_ , something pretty to distract them from the monotony of their own pathetic lives. 

The hosts interview him eagerly, falling over themselves to compliment him on his courage and cunning, trying to squeeze any new details of the case from him. It’s a familiar game that they all benefit from, and Goro basks in the audience’s laughter and all of the attention heaped upon him. He’s barely done any media appearances lately, and the hosts jump on the chance to grill him about his role in the capture of the leader of the Phantom Thieves. He winks, promises more information and developments soon, and feels the swoons of the people at his feet like a heartbeat.

* * *

There’s a sick thrill to it, to know that he’ll be the last person Kurusu will see before he dies. That Kurusu won’t have time to reminisce about his good memories of his friends when he’s killed, because he’s the exact kind of person to do so. He’ll be staring into Goro’s eyes as his life violently ends, mind completely blank except for thoughts about _him_.

This will mark the first time Goro has killed anyone outside of the Metaverse, and shit, it’s an excellent way to start out. If Kurusu, heavily guarded while trapped in police custody, is his first target in the real world, he knows with certainty that the rest of Shido’s commands will be mind-numbingly boring.

(Not that Shido will have much of a chance. The election is less than a month away, and Goro is more than prepared to finally enact his vengeance.)

The journey underground to Kurusu’s cell is dreadfully anticlimactic. Goro has always been one for dramatics, and having nothing but the click of his heels to prelude their last interaction is disappointing, at the very least. The most interesting thing to happen is running into Sae-san, who does nothing but show him Kurusu’s phone, a peculiar expression on her face as she stares him down. She’s most likely still reeling from the onslaught of confusing information - a seven hour interrogation with the leader of the Phantom Thieves was bound to leave her with more questions than answers.

Goro makes a mental note of the possibility of having to destroy Sae’s shadow. She knows too much information now, however much she may distrust Kurusu’s testimony. In the wake of Joker’s arrest, her Palace had never crumbled. There may still be a chance for him to sneak in to do the job yet. Not preferable, definitely, but something to perhaps look forward to as he prepares for Shido’s demise.

The guard watching over Joker is stupid and disposable, and Goro ends his life quickly. Kurusu regards him, silent as ever, as Goro smiles serenely. “I’m here to rescue you,” he says, like Crow would, like Robin Hood, grand and heroic and just.

He turns the gun sharply on Kurusu, his expression twisting into something more like Loki’s. “That’s what you thought I would say, isn’t it?”

He continues on, rambling and proud. His words stutter to an uneasy stop when Kurusu leans forward, pressing his forehead against the barrel of Goro’s silencer with no fear in his eyes. “Then why are you hesitating, Crow?” he asks, voice hoarse with overuse. The fresh bruises are bright and mottled against his pale skin, the harsh lighting only serving to heighten the grotesque marks on his face. His hands are clasped loosely on the table, wrists ringed with the ugly evidence of tight handcuffs even as he sits in a deceptively casual pose. He looks _infuriatingly_ calm in the face of death. 

Life and death are nothing but matters of cognition, after all. Of that, they are both well aware.

Goro sighs. “You always had to have the last word, didn’t you?” He pushes the gun forward, forcing Kurusu’s head back with the motion and tilting his face upwards. The column of his throat is defined against the high collar of his school uniform, a sheen of sweat exposed under the strain. Goro feels the sudden, absurd urge to lick the skin clean, taste acrid salt on his tongue before biting down just to see what sort of colors would bloom beneath his teeth. Kurusu is incredibly vulnerable underneath Goro's hands, and his grip on the trigger tightens, pupils constricting. “Well, not this time, _Joker_. This is where your _justice_ ends.”

Kurusu dies with his eyes open, scarlet blood splattering obscenely on the wall behind him and running in dark rivulets down his face. He slumps forward, and it doesn’t take long for Goro to unfasten the silencer and position the gun into Kurusu’s slack hand. There’s no gunpowder residue, no sign of struggle against the guard, absolutely _nothing_ to even imply that he had committed suicide beyond the obvious, but Goro knows better than anyone that Shido’s imbecile detectives will barely glance at the body before signing the death certificate.

Goro does not bother to afford Kurusu the dignity of closing his eyes, and the dead boy stares at him as he finally steps away, glassy gaze murky brown and accusing. 

Goro closes the interrogation room door behind him, a parody of a grin on his face as it creaks shut and seals his secrets away. The assassination is disturbingly different from even the most realistic of deaths in the Metaverse, the familiar putrid scent and thick black ash from the destruction of a shadow. A perfect crime, almost.

After all, weren’t Kurusu’s eyes gray?

**Author's Note:**

> I really like the idea of Sae's cognition of Akira being someone who talks back in the face of death, as well as Akechi being able to figure out that he was in the Metaverse during the assassination.
> 
> The dialogue of Akechi and Makoto watching Joker getting arrested and of the Phantom Thieves' meeting immediately after are pulled directly from the anime.


End file.
